Sperm & the single girl

[Angel]

Published: 05 March 2006
Single women in their 30s and 40s are to be allowed free fertility treatment on the NHS as record numbers opt for motherhood without a man. Hospital trusts are rewriting their policies

Single women in their 30s and 40s are to be allowed free fertility treatment on the NHS as record numbers opt for motherhood without a man. Hospital trusts are rewriting their policies in response to demand from singletons who have lost out in the relationship stakes, either because they have been unable to find the right man or because their partners are against parenthood.

This development comes as legal experts warned that hospitals face potential court cases under rights laws if they deny single women their right to motherhood.

In a pioneering move, Camden primary care trust in London is considering the introduction of free treatment for single women because of the huge demand from childless but financially secure would-be mothers.

One insider said the plan, which is expected to get the go-ahead at a funding meeting later this month, was a "sea change" from 10 years ago and would prompt other trusts to follow suit. At present, the trust gives priority treatment to childless couples. The source said: "There have been several assessments of whether it would be appropriate and these have all been very positive."

Camden would be one of the first trusts in the country to take such a controversial decision. Such a move will please equality campaigners but enrage those people who argue that it undermines traditional family values. This is also not welcome news for some cash-strapped trusts that are unable to fund treatment for couples.

Free treatment for single women will also reignite the debate about whether or not children need a father and how the family should be defined in the 21st century.

It also will bring joy to thousands of women labelled SadFabs (single and desperate for a baby). They have been able to get treatment, which can cost several thousand pounds, only by funding it themselves.

This has not even been a postcode lottery as many private fertility centres have refused to treat them because of strict ethical concerns governing the welfare of the child, especially its need for a father.

The Oxford Fertility Unit, for example, started offering private treatment to single women only four years ago on the grounds that refusing treatment could lead to potential legal action.

The clinic now reports that the number of enquiries from single women seeking artificial insemination, or resorting to IVF if sperm donation does not work, has quadrupled. Tim Child, from the clinic, said that the single women who contacted the clinic had "thought long and hard" about their decision to conceive through donor sperm.

"An impressive number have been very open and frank about their decision with their families," he said.

"They have got support and their child will be much loved. It also means that they have control over the child's upbringing."

There is growing evidence that babies born to single mothers through donor insemination thrive just as well as those born into two-parent families.

A study carried out by the Family and Child Psychology Research Centre at City University in London found that go-it-alone mothers coped just as well as women supported by a husband or boyfriend. However, they also discovered that two-thirds of the women they surveyed resorted to donor insemination because they felt they had no other choice open to them, not as a result of a deliberate desire to exclude a man.

Jodie Foster, the American actress and director, is one of a number of celebrities who has always refused to comment on stories suggesting that her children were fathered by a sperm donor.

Hospitals are under no obligation to provide automatic free treatment to single women, who are not covered under the current guidelines set by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice). However, Nice said that anyone who meets the clinical criteria should be eligible for treatment.

"We were not asked to look at the issue of whether fertility treatment should be made available to single women or same-sex couples who do not have fertility problems. Anyone who meets the clinical criteria set out in the guideline should be eligible for fertility treatment," said a spokesperson.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority(HFEA) has also helped to pave the way for single women to be treated equally with couples by removing the need for them to have a "father figure" for their child.

Six out of 10 trusts that responded to questions from The Independent on Sunday said that they did not provide treatment. But two, including Kingston and Milton Keynes, said that they would if they had a request from a single woman. Others, including Hastings and St Leonards, indicated that they would consider changing their policy if they came "under pressure" from women who were not in a relationship.

The Commons Science and Technology Committee has already highlighted the inequalities that exist in the laws governing fertility treatment such as the need for a father. Evan Harris MP, a former doctor and member of the committee, said many women had been forced to go private because they could not get treatment on the NHS.

"It is hard to see how a blanket refusal to treat people on the basis of their sexual orientation or single status would survive a challenge under the Human Rights Act," said the Liberal Democrat MP, who is also a member of Parliament's Joint Committee on Human Rights.

"Given that there is plenty of evidence to suggest that children do no worse in such households, it is unethical medically to refuse to treat people."
Professor Sheila McLean, the head of law and ethics in medicine at Glasgow University, said: "The law says there is a right to marriage and a family, and this is a growing issue which you could argue is discriminatory in denying treatment to single women."

However, fertility experts say that the issue is a very complex one and that a woeful lack of funding for fertility treatment meant that many trusts were forced to prioritise whom they could treat.

Professor Alison Murdoch, former chair of the British Fertility Society and head of Newcastle University's Centre for Life fertility clinic, said: "This needs to be in the context of where do the priorities go when there are a lack of resources. This is not saying you do not deserve to be a mother if you are single. My personal view is that single women need to have their needs addressed. We no longer live in a society where all families have two parents."
[break=Additional reporting by Fernando Vasquez]

'Women can finally fulfil their maternal dreams' by Fernando Vasquez


Emma Field is at the age when she wants to have children, but does not have a partner. Now she feels that is becoming less of a problem. She no longer needs a man.

"Career women of my age who want to have kids but don't have a partner finally have the opportunity to fulfil their maternal dreams," said the 35-year-old. "I can afford to support the children and will now be able to have a child.
"It's a very positive development that the NHS is funding this and encouraging women who are in a position to support children to actually have them.

"The Government is obviously concerned at the lack of professional women, like myself, having kids. We do not always have time to meet someone.
"I think I will make a great single parent. I have considered the costs and know I can do this on my own. I do want to meet a man but now I do not need a man to have a family. It's great that we have become a more open society that accepts single mothers. Our morality has evolved."

Ms Field added that while children ideally needed two parents, a good single mother was better than a bad mother and father. It was good that the NHS was meeting the needs of single women, but the scheme should be reserved for parents who could afford to support the children, she said.

'Money saved on IVF can be used to bring up the child'

Christine Van Hoegarden can barely conceal her excitement about the prospect of NHS-funded IVF treatment for single women. The 29-year-old teacher may not be planning to become a mother immediately, but in planning for the future it is clear she views the solo route as a realistic option.

"It's not that I do not like men. Men are great, but they do not always fit into your timescale. This is the modern way. We can all suit ourselves.

"Ultimately, it's about trusting women to make the right decision for themselves. The mother would have to consider it a great deal and be sure she can support the children. She may be able to give the children a better life than if she had got pregnant accidentally. I would definitely use a sperm donor.

"It's excellent the NHS is doing this because IVF is so expensive. If you are living by yourself rather than sharing costs with a partner, it is difficult to afford the treatment.

"Money saved on insemination can be put towards bringing the child up. It would make you a stronger mother.

"The Government is obviously making a move to improve the economy. It must have weighed up the potential impact on social security against the benefits of remedying the problem of our ageing population. In the meantime, it's good for women too."

'It's a very tough decision to make'

At the age of 35, Natasha Zuka is considering being inseminated with donor sperm to have a baby.

While she has thought about "doing it with a friend", the prospect of paternity issues in the future make her more receptive to the idea of an anonymous donor.

Natasha would prefer not to be a single mother, but acknowledges that "life changes, you know". She is concerned that a woman who conceives as a single mother will find it difficult to get a partner later, however. "In reality that's very difficult," she says. "It's a bonus if a single mother manages to get a partner."

Natasha, a software developer, doesn't see the lack of a male role model being a problem. In her view, if a woman makes a conscious decision to have a child by herself, she'll do everything in her power to do the best for that child.

She has thought about paying for treatment privately, but thinks that all women should have the option of accessing some NHS funding.

But she does not believe that NHS funding should automatically be available for single women to cover the entire cost of the procedure. "It's a very tough decision to make and shouldn't be made 'on the fly'," she says. The cost should be split, she believes, with suitable women offering an initial payment of up to 50 per cent of the cost and the NHS making up the remainder.

"The NHS is something that all working women pay into and the consultation for donor insemination shouldn't be like a routine check-up," she says.

"You should think twice. As soon as the issue of payment is involved, people think twice."